Blanching apparatus.



PATENTED APR. 28,

2 SIAIEETS-SHEET 1.

E. I. VAUDREUIL. BLANGHING APPARATUS.

APPLIoATIoN FILED MAB 15, 1907 No. 886,097. PATENTED APR. 28., 1908.

E. J. VAUDRBUIL. BLANGHING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 15, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Vtion thereof.

" Uturrnn PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD 4J. vAUDREUIL, or Two RIVERS, wisconsin.

y BLANCHING ATJPABATUS.

Specification of Iietters Patent.

Patented 'April 28, 1908.

Application mea mmh 15, 1907. serial N9. $62,469.

To 'all whom it may concem:

Be it known that I, EDWARD J. VAUDREUIL, -a citizen of the United States, and resident of Two IRivers, in the county of Manitowoc and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Blanching A paratus and I o hereby declare that the fo lowing is a full, clear, and exact descrip- The object of my invention is to provide a simple, economical and effective apparatus vespecially designed for blanching vegetables,

such as peas,beans or the like, preparatory to canning; said invention consistingv in fertain peculiarities of construction and c'rrnbination of parts as hereinafter fully set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings and subsequently claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of a complete apparatus embodying the features of my invention7 said apparatus com rising a series of blanching and rinsing tan s, together with an .overhead track and trolley system, to which are attached buckets or receptacles containing thel vegetables to be treated by a series of -progressive baths in the different tanks Fig. 2, a plan view of the tanks, showing a bucket in osition in the first of said tanks, the view being partly broken away and in section to better illustrate the details of construction; Fig. 3, an enlarged detail sectional elevation illustrating a bucket submerged in a -fragment of a tank, and suspended from a portion of the overhead track and trolley system, the section being indicated by line 3 3 of Fig. 4 Fig. 4, a cross-section of the same, as indicatedbyline 4-4of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5, a plan view of a bucket-to with the hanger-shaft in section, as indicated by line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A, A indicate com artments of a tank having a division-wall the outer walls C of the tank are preferably constructed of non-conductive material such as wood, as is also the bottom D, there bein a metal .lining E secured `to said walls and ottom by cleats a, which cleats' serve as spacing-blocks to form a steam-s ace or jacketed com artment between t e tank-walls proper an inner lining, said cleats being staggered to ermit free pas sage of steam through the jac eted inclosure.

In operation, the com artments of the tanks are filled with water rom a supply-pipe l), and the water is thereafter heate to t e vdesired degree for par-boiling. In my appa- .is fed thereto through f, while the jacketed steam-space is ratus the heat supply for this purpose is primarily attained steam from the power plant necessaryin a canning-factory, the exhaust steam bemgfed to the tank jacket, by branches of-.a pipe c, through which jacket the steam has-free circulation and is permitted to escape :through vent-holes d in the outer tank-walls C to avoid back-pressure. To `further increase the he ating capacity of the tanks,live steam ipe-coils e that rest upon the bottom lining g1 of each'of-the tank compartments, the ends of the coils being connected to the jacketed spaces of the 'bottoms thereof to permit the hve steam to mingle with the exhaust after circulating through the coils.

y utilizing the .exhaust 'Both the bottom vproper and the metal lining thereof, in each compartment is slightly inclined towards the center to permit drainage of water through valve-controlled pipes drained of condensed steam through valve-controlled pipes g,. which pi es are located at the intersecting points of t pipes f being similarly locatedwith relation e oppositely inclined metal tank linings of each compartmentthereof, the

to the bottom proper of said tank compartments.

A coldy water-tank F is provided at the rear end of the heated tank for rinsing urposes,

the water being su plied to the ta by ipe l b, and is drained t ierefrom through ava vecontrolled pipe h', as shown.

In the operation ofblanching with m apparatus, the vegetables are placed in a c osed colander-bucket and immersed in the first 4com artment of hot water, through which the ucket slowly travels, the contents being stirred; this slightly par boils the vegetables and frees the same from the coarser'foreign matter, after which said bucket is lifted over the partition tothe next tank-compartment and immersed therein, the same process being repeated. The contents Vof the bucket are now thoroughly blanched, and it is again elevated and dropped into a rinsing-tank of cold water, which com letes the process.

The abo-ve describe operation ofxblanchingis obtained by the following mechanisms: A track is suspendedv or otherwise secured over the tank longitudinally thereof, lin this` tive end-brackets being provided with bearings for shafts. carrying a driving sprockety which elyes are adapted for the rece rack K secured to s c ain, impart wheel j and an idler-wheel 7c over which wheel travels an endless carrier-chain l that is driven by suitable power from a ulley secured to the driving sprocket whee shaft. as shown. The lower loop of the carrierchain travels upon metal-faced parallel rails G, G,

of the track, the links of the carrier-chain being provided with rollers m th'at serve to relieve the friction of the travel of the chain upon the rails. The track-rails G, G,throughout the greater part of their length are approximately horizontal with abrupt inclined sections G rising therefrom at either end, and similar intermediate op ositely inclined sections G intersecting eacli other over the tank-partitions. The several sections G at their junction with the horizontal rails are provided with sup orting brackets 11, for idler sheaves o, which s eaves serve to guide and hold the carrier-chain upon the track, as it rises and falls with the various inclinations thereof. i

One or more of the chain-links in the carrier form trolleys H having depending saddles H for the support of swivel-eyes p, tion of the hoo ed ends of'spindles g.- Eac of the s indles is provided with a pinion r, its s ine terminatin in an eye, into which is li ed the hooked end of a hanger-shaft I serving as asupport for a colander bucket J, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings. Each hanger-shaft I, at its lower end is provided with blades s secured thereto, and a collar t above these blades serves as a rest for a closed lid J which lid is loosely mounted on said hanger-shaft. t The-lid is detachably locked to an upper reinforce band u of the bucket by a pair of spring-controlled snap-hooks w, which hooks are pivoted to the band and serve to sup ort the colander bucket, the blades s of t e shaft-hanger being centrally located therein. As best shown in Fig'. 3, the sides and bottom ofthe bucket are preferabl formed of metal screening Awith upper and ower reinforce bands, but anyj vented material may be used which will permit free access of Water to the vegetables when submerged and can be drained thereafter, without the escapeqof the contents under treatment.

As previouslyv stated, While the buckets are passing through the several baths, the contents therein are subjected to continuous shed by means of segments of a toothed the bottom edges of one of the rails G between each of the inclined sections G thereof. These racks engage the pinion r of the s indles g and through their connection with t e hanger-shafts, when said indles are drawn forward by the carrierrotation to the y stirrin blades. By the above arran ement the sald hanger-shafts are rotatedwh e thecolandergitation, the drive for this motion is accom-u :bles or the li buckets together with their covers are held against revolving in the tanks by trailer-rods L that are fast in cli s on the top of the covers, the free ends o the rods being adapted to contact with and slide upon the inner lining or walls of the several tanks, as best shown in Fig. 2, ofthe drawings.

It will be seen that when a trolleyl'l has made the turn over the driving sprocket wheel J, it .will rest upon the upper end of the i'irst incline G of the track. At, this place the spindle portion q of a hanger-shaft is adj usted to the trolley, and the lid having been snapped over a bucket, the said bucket with its contents to be blanched will start downwar'd and be entirely submerged in the tank by the time the trolley has run upon a horizontal section of said track. The pinion on the spindle will now engage a rack segment K and put the stirring-blades in motion, which motion continues until the linion hasy run 0H the rack segment, at Whic time the bucket has reached the op ositeend of the tank and Will now be raised) b the adjacent incline G of the track over t e tank-partition and dropped into the next tank, and so on until 4the o eration is completed. The bucket and its hanger-shaft connections are then uncoupled from the trolley and the operation relpeated, it being understoodl one or more buc ets may be traveling throu h the tank at the same timein advance o each other or I may, without departure from the spirit of my vinvention use tWo or more ara lel carrier and track mechanisms, attac inv' the buckets to the same so that theywi travel throughthe several baths in pairs.

In order to prevent the pinions r from becoming disenga ed from the racks K, the rail G o posite t at of the rack carryin -rail 1 is provided with an angle-iron guard x a apted to contact with the pinion and hold the same in mesh with the rack.

l I claim:

1. In an apparatus for blanching vegetables or the like, a series of Huid contamin tanks, an endless travelin carrier above the tanks, a colander receptac e connected to the carrier, means for ralsing and lowering the receptacle in each tank, a rotary agitator in said colander receptacle, and driving means for the agitator above the tanks.l

2. In an a paratus for blanching vegetables or the li e, a series of fluid containing tanks, an endless travelin carrier above the same, a colander receptacle, means for raising and lowering the receptacle in each tank, an agitator inthe receptacle, a trolley in connectlon with the carrier and agitator, a gear in connection with the agitator, and a rack for the gear extending longitudinally of the path of travel of the carrier.

3. In an a paratus for blanching vegetae, a series of fiuid containing tanks, an endless traveling carrier chain above the tanks, a horizontal supportingrail for the lower loop of the carrier-chain, upwardly V-shaped inclined sections in the rail, horizontal rack-sections secured to the horizontal section of said rail, a bucket, an agitator for the bucket, driving means con-` necting the agitator and traveling carrier- .chain, and a pinion carried by the driving means, the pinion being adapted to engage the rack-sections.

carrier, a detachable bucket in connection with the carrier, an agitator in the bucket, means for imparting intermittent motion to the agitator 1n connection with the carrier, and means for -raising and lowering the 2o bucket into the several tanks.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Two Rivers in the county of Manitowoc and State of Wisconsin in the presence of two witnesses.

Witnesses:

lLYDIA MATTHIEs, FRED W. DICKE. 

